Phantom Island: Wind [Hardcover]

Krissi Dallas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2009

"One fateful summer night ...when one rule is broken ... five teenagers will discover an unexpected adventure full of magic, romance, and true friendship." Seventeen-year-old Whitnee has spent six years rebuilding her identity after her father's mysterious disappearance left her with more questions than answers. With her two best friends, she returns as an employee to the summer camp of her childhood. Nestled in the Texan hill country, Camp Fusion is everything Whitnee remembers ... except for the haunting visions that only she can see. One fateful night, Whitnee and her friends embark on a magical journey where unexpected adventure and heart-stopping romance collide - a journey that might unlock the dark, complicated mysteries of Whitnee's family history. But will she find the answers she is looking for before it is too late?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"WIND was extremely well-written... There are only a few other novels where I wanted to actually be in their world. I was captured from the very first page... so excited to read the next installment!" --Marta Morrison at TeensReadToo.com

"I really liked this book, partially because it has another world in it. I would definitely recommend this book to others... a great debut novel for Krissi Dallas. I am waiting for the sequel to come out!" --Teen Reviewer at FlamingNet.com

"The imagery is vivid & the world Dallas has built is absolutely lush. For people looking for high fantasy mixed with teen angst & a lot of secrets, check out this book. I highly recommend." --Vilate at Young Adult Literature Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Author

Inspiration to write comes from so many places and in so many forms. I have to say that the initial desire to write a YA fiction book started with my middle school students. I have some excellent writers in my classes, and through reading their personal writings, I thought, "I should be doing this, too." I wrote at least seventeen different novels growing up - only about five of them were completed before I became an adult. And I lost some of that desire to write creatively when I reached college. 

So now, as a teacher, I get to read and discuss great literature all the time! And I decided I wanted to write a book that my students and I could enjoy together - a book with adventure and mystery and, yes, even romance! (Middle school boys are actually very romantic - they won't admit it, but they like a good love story, too.) In the past few years, my students and I studied pop culture books such as Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins in my classroom. We had so much fun with themes like love and mortality and fantastical elements set in a real world that I knew I wanted to write a story with a similar attraction. 

So... where did the characters for Phantom Island come from? Well, it started with my two best friends - Melody and Sam. Mel and I have been best friends since middle school and even went to college together. It was there that we met Sam, who became a close "guy friend" for both of us. (Little did I know that my senior year of college I would end up dating Sam and eventually marry him.) But I love the friendship that I have with both of them - it is loyal and true and does not fade with time. I know this is a rare gift, and as I pondered the memories and the special relationship there, I knew I had my Whitnee, Morgan, and Caleb. Writing those characters was SO easy - I just had to go, "Okay, how would Sam respond there? Or what look would be on Mel's face if that happened?" 

Writing my preteen characters came very naturally, too. I live at the middle school level, so it was fun to bring that age group to life in the book. I soon discovered that with Amelia and Kevin's characters, I could ask the questions that the reader was probably wondering or clarify the information the reader needed. The natural inquisitiveness of that age group, as well as their endearing personalities, gave a jumping off point for setting up my Island. Plus, I just couldn't write a debut novel and not feature middle schoolers - they are the best!

Creating the Island was a totally crazy and fun and exciting experience... I cannot adequately explain where all of the inspiration and ideas came from because I don't always know. Sometimes ideas came to me while listening to a song in the car, or as an epiphany out of my sleep in the middle of the night, or through conversations with friends, but I will say this - I discovered the term "phantom islands" and became interested in the idea of "lost lands" as I researched theories on the show, LOST, over the years. I loved that show and kept thinking, "What if a group of teenagers discovered a magical island? What would their adventure be? What kind of connection would it have to their real world lives?" As a child, I was mesmerized by the Bermuda Triangle and the stories of Atlantis. I am an avid reader and studier of the Bible - a huge influence in my life. And I love the idea of magical worlds on the border of our realities. (TRANSLATION: I go to all of the midnight release parties for books and movies like Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and the Olympians... I even make fan t-shirts. And, no, it doesn't matter that I'm almost thirty years old.)

I hope you enjoy the adventure on the Mainland AND on the Island - both are equally important to the ultimate outcome of the Phantom Island series. Phantom Island: WATER will be coming soon... until then, have fun surviving the Island with the characters! Are you part of the Wind, Water, Earth, or Fire tribe? Only you can know. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (April 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1438961804
• ISBN-13: 978-1438961804
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,137,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a gray-eyed native Aerodorian (not sure what that is? Read the Phantom Island books!) and I currently live in Texas. I openly confess that I feel more like a teenager now than when I actually was a teen! I grew up in San Antonio, graduating from Castle Hills First Baptist School, where I was so blessed to have many adults, teachers, and ministers pour their time, love, and wisdom into me. I went to college at Oklahoma Baptist University and graduated as a Family Psychology major - which is a wonderful major, even though it only leaves you with more questions about human nature than when you began. After college, I married my best friend, Sam Dallas, and we moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area where Sam got his Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has since graduated from there, gotten a SECOND Masters in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and is currently working on his doctorate. We have two wicked Yorkies named Elphaba and Luna, who are well-named in personality. Elphaba is our stubborn, but pure-hearted firstborn (named after our favorite heroine in the Broadway show, Wicked). Luna is her quirky, odd little sister (named after Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter series).

I eventually discovered a love for teaching; for seven years, I have been the Pre-AP English/Language Arts teacher at Springtown Middle School. By day, I get to lead these wonderfully smart and energetic seventh and eighth grade students on perilous and personally-challenging adventures through literature and grammar. I get to hang out with some of the craziest middle schoolers out there! I am so proud of my students - past and present. They inspire me every day to keep challenging myself. We learn together in so many ways.

When away from school, I work alongside Sam at Fusion Student Ministries (see www.fusionrpbc.org). I have a passion for (and much experience) working with teenagers - a life that I love. That includes listening to the drama, the laughter, the tears, and the fears of adolescents needing a responsible adult to point them in the right direction. (I am not afraid of practicing tough love ... as long as "love" is the key word.) My FSM teens are like my family.

In my seemingly nonexistent spare time, I enjoy making cheesy music videos with my students (see www.youtube.com/thedallasfamily), singing on my church worship team (www.rpbc.org), and discovering magical worlds through books and writing.

The Phantom Island series originally started as the self-published version, WIND, back in 2009. Since then, the series has been re-released through a faith-based traditional house, Tate Publishing. Windchaser (Book 1) and Windfall (Book 2) are the commercially-split versions of the original WIND, with a few updates and changes. Enjoy a fresh read of the adventures of Whitnee, Caleb, and Morgan as they discover a lost island that promises magic, romance, and plenty of secrets...and don't miss Watercrossing (Book 3) coming in 2012!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, September 19, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phantom Island: Wind (Paperback)

Gold Star Award Winner!

I just finished reading probably one of the best books that I have read in the last few years.

Whitnee's father mysteriously disappeared six years ago. Whitnee and her mother have missed him and refuse to think he is dead.

The first summer after he went missing, Whitnee went to a summer camp, Camp Fusion, where there were counselors who dealt with emotional problems. There she met Morgan and Caleb, who become her two best friends. Now they are back at camp, but this time as mentors to other kids who need their help.

While at camp, Whitnee accidentally finds herself, along with her friends, transported to another world. There she finds that she may be the savior of their world. She develops powers over wind, fire, water, and the earth.

They meet many interesting people and find a connection between the island and her father. There are many adventures, twists, and turns. There is also a wonderful romance. She and her friends grow in many ways as they try to find their way home.

PHANTOM ISLAND: WIND was extremely well-written, which was good because it is a very long book. Ms. Dallas's characters have a lot of depth and are very real. The descriptions of the island they went to was very detailed, so that you felt that you were there with them.

There are only a few other novels where I wanted to actually be in their world. I was captured from the very first page. I am so excited to read the next installment in 2010!

Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Non-Stop Thrill!, May 7, 2009

By 

J.R. Hall (Ft Worth, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phantom Island: Wind (Paperback)

Since I teach 7th grade, I love to read YAF. Sometimes this gets very stale, but Phantom Island: Wind was definitely a breath of fresh air. The writing was well-thought out, the plot was full of twist & turns and the main character was complicated without being annoying.

Whitnee Terradora has had a life full of complication since the mysterious disappearance of her father over 6 years ago. She returns to Camp Fusion, a camp for troubled kids, only this time as a counselor instead of a camper. There she meets Amelia, a spoiled camper who Whitnee can't seem to reach. She also begins to have relationship issues with one of her close friends, Caleb. Throughout all of this emotional turmoil, Whitnee begins having nightmares about her father and then begins seeing visions of him on the other side (forbidden side!) of the Frio River. Whitnee decides to take matters into her own hands and find out why she keeps seeing her father and just what is on the other side of the river.

Phantom Island: Wind will keep you glued to the book with action sequences, twist & turns and romance. Even with the romance I still recommend this book to my male students. It's a great book from a debut author and I'm glad I got my hands on it. Being the 1st in a series of four books, there are many more great things to come from Krissi Dallas!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Adventure, May 3, 2009

By 

Lisa Clark (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phantom Island: Wind (Paperback)

Phantom Island is a fun mix of everything you could want in a book--characters that act like real people, humorous and dangerous situations, conflicting motives and agendas, problems you can relate to; as well as a fascinating and imaginative setting. People say that in some stories there is "something for everyone". Well, in this one, I think there really is. I am a book snob. I only read books I feel are worth my while, and if I get into one and don't like it, I put it down. When I first heard about this book, I was interested in it, and as soon as I started to read, I was hooked. It's the kind of book that you try to read any time you get a spare second. And when you're done, you read it again. I highly recommend Phantom Island.